Thinking Pink

Some members of our school/work "team" who walked to support my coworker, during the Susan G. Komen 5K walk in Philadelphia last month.

I know October is over, and thus Breast Cancer Awareness month has "officially" ended, but I seem to have been slapped in the face this year with dear women in my life facing breast cancer and the threat of it, and I see no reason to lock discussion of it away to just one month during the year.

In the past 6 months, my boss/coworker was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer and is still being treated and fighting it, my aunt (on my mom's side) had a double mastectomy in August, my high school youth pastor was diagnosed in September and is going through chemo (while her husband and sons are in Azerbaijan, teaching and doing ministry), and my mom had a surgery last week to remove what turned out to be a benign lump.

So, let's talk. (And, as a disclaimer, I am NOT an expert on this. This is just gathered from my personal experiences, conversations, and a small bit of research on the matter.)

It's estimated that about 10% of breast cancer cases are inherited through the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. On my mom's side, my great-grandmother died of breast cancer, and my grandma and two aunts (including the one who just had a double mastectomy) have survived it. My mom has to get mammograms every 6 months because of her risk. Also, my grandmother on my dad's side died of ovarian cancer. The odds don't necessarily look that great for me and my sisters.

However, there is something that could help. Although it's still controversial for some people, there is genetic testing available if it seems that breast cancer (or ovarian cancer) run in your family. I am actually not sure if my mom has had the testing done, but if she has and she is negative for either of the abnormal genes, then my sisters and I may be ok. However, I personally am considering having it done anyway. The presence of an abnormal gene doesn't mean that someone will absolutely get breast cancer - it just means there's a higher risk and that you need to be much more aware and responsible with care and check-ups. For instance, instead of starting your yearly mammograms at 40, you should talk to your doctor about when to start (which could be much younger, and/or more frequently - and you should also have your doctor give you an examination every year during your physical check-up).

Going back to the other 90% of cases that are not inherited, there are a few key points to take note of (and what I really want you women reading this to take into consideration). Most of the factors that cause you to be more at risk for breast cancer are out of your control -- if you're female, have a family history of breast cancer, and getting older (men can get breast cancer, too, but only account for about 1% of all breast cancer cases). HOWEVER, there is one thing you can control: exercise.

Recent studies have shown that regular exercise is linked to preventing breast cancer, and then also improving your chances of survival if you are diagnosed with breast cancer -- especially in women over 50. Take a look at some statistics, reported on breastcancer.org:

• Women who exercise regularly throughout their lifetimes are 20% less likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who don't regularly exercise.
• Women in their 50s who regularly exercise more after age 50 than they did before age 50 are 34%-41% less likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who don't exercise more after age 50.
• Regular, moderate intensity exercise helps lower breast cancer risk no matter a woman's weight, family history of breast cancer, or menopausal status. In short, just about every woman can lower her breast cancer risk by regularly exercising at moderate intensity.
  

So, in short, exercise always helps... and it's never too late to start. I don't know about you, but those statistics are pretty powerful, especially since we're just talking about prevention here (it's also very important if you are diagnosed with breast cancer - improving your survival rate by almost 50%).

What is it that makes exercise so important? Well, from what I can gather, for the 90% of people with non-inherited breast cancer, it's got a lot to do with hormones. Many breast tumors are fed by estrogen... and, as one site explains, the more fat you have on your body, the more estrogen you produce because fat cells contain enzymes that increase estrogen production. Also consider that physical activity affects the circulation of your hormones, and may lower your estrogen levels if you are more active.

Exercising may not be the end-all magic answer, but it definitely is a huge factor. Add in eating well, maintaining a healthy weight (which exercise obviously helps with), getting yearly check-ups and/or mammograms, and perhaps even getting genetic testing, and you're in a much better place than doing nothing. While you may not be able to have a foolproof prevention method, you'll have a much better chance of catching things early on if you are diagnosed, and being able to successfully get treatment and survive. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good to for me, and one I want for my mom, sisters, and other women in my life.

If you would like to learn more about breast cancer, you can follow the numerous links, and if you'd like to make a donation to breast cancer research, you can visit the well-known Susan G Komen Foundation's website. They also have a LOT of information about breast cancer, as well as links to various support groups, places to share your story, and ways to get involved.

This is important. Make sure you and especially the women in your life are thinking pink. Please don't ignore this... make sure you, your mom, your sisters, your wife, your aunt, your coworkers... whomever! Make sure they're working to take care of themselves and that they are DEFINITELY getting checked yearly. Trust me - it can make all the difference in the world.